MANWEB is investigating a street lighting problem which has left parts of a village centre in darkness for almost a week.

MANWEB is investigating a street lighting problem which has left parts of a village centre in darkness for almost a week.

The main stretch of Bagillt High Street was plunged into darkness last Friday and villagers are furious the problem was not resolved immediately.

Harry Edwards and wife Shirley who run the Feathers Inn said the fact they have lost trade is the least of their concerns.

'Obviously, the dark is not very inviting for customers,' said Harry.

'But the fact of the matter is why haven't the lights been fixed sooner? They should have been put back on straight away as a matter of public safety.'

Shirley said the High Street is not the only area being affected by the blackout.

'Parts of Bryntirion Road in Bagillt have been off for about three weeks,' she said.

Saihou John, who runs John the Chemist in the centre of the High Street said customers have been voicing their concerns.

'We are only open until 7pm so it hasn't affected us that much,' he said. 'But it would have if we were further into the winter, so I'm hoping it's fixed before the nights get darker earlier. It has affected a few pensioners in the village who have complained to us about it.'

And it's not the first time this year villagers have expressed anger at delays in restoring power on the High Street.

In January, locals took tumbles, businesses lost trade and residents were afraid to go out after the centre of Bagillt went without lighting for the same amount of time.

Community councillor Mike Reece, who has been inundated with complains from pensioners unable to leave their homes by night, is furious problems in Bagillt are never resolved with any urgency.

'This is a serious problem, which is affecting a lot of people,' he said. 'If it happened in the centre of Flint, they would have been fixed the same day.' Cllr Reece relayed his concerns to county councillor John Ovens, who contacted the local authority to urge Manweb to resolve the problem.

Hopes were high that his intervention would result in the lights being switched back on yesterday evening.

A Manweb spokeswoman said workers were sent to the site on Wednesday evening to assess the extent of the problem which is affecting about 15 lamps.

'We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience and aim to rectify the problem as soon as possible,' she said.